


Never Again

by FrozenSnares



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Oneshot, Reunions, Stuff, dog park, i'm so great at tagging, uh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 12:10:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6328603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenSnares/pseuds/FrozenSnares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been eight years since Rickon has seen Shireen, but when Shaggydog recognizes her across the park, he ends up forced to face his past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> Written for some lovely anon on tumblr who requested "well this is really awkward considering the last time we saw each other, i was screaming at you to never talk to me again, but like, my dog recognized you all the way across the park and literally dragged me over here because he misses you so hi" AU.

It was far later than usual, and the sun was already setting. A complication at work sent Rickon in on his day off, pushing back Shaggydog’s walk to the last few minutes of sunlight. He would end up at his apartment after dark, and they were expecting him in tomorrow. At the very least, Shaggydog didn’t seem to be in a running mood, so Rickon enjoyed the slow, steady walk. He took a deep breath in, letting the cool air fill up his lungs. Already it was getting colder, and Rickon started wrestling with his jacket. He glanced down at Shaggydog, watching the black dog sniffing intently at the ground. Right when Rickon lifted up his arms, Shaggydog lurched forward.

Staggering over his feet, Rickon pulled Shaggydog back to his side. “Come on, man,” he told the dog. “Stay still for a sec.”

Shaggydog refused to listen. He continued walking around Rickon’s legs, following some scent. Rickon groaned, trying to keep a firm hold the leash as he fought both his dog and his jacket. The dog wouldn’t be stopped, though, and Rickon was already cursing his sister for suggesting that Shaggydog would walk better with a harness. The dog had far too much control of the situation for his comfort. With a sigh, Rickon dropped the leash for a brief moment, hoping that he could at least battle his dog from the safety of his jacket.

Shaggydog stayed calm for exactly three seconds. Then, he ran right through Rickon’s legs, hooking the leash painfully tight around his ankles and dragging him through the grass of the dog park.

Swearing loudly, Rickon tried to keep a tight hold of his jacket. His shirt started riding up his stomach as they went, and Rickon was sure he would be completely stained over with grass by the time his dog stopped running. Sitting up against the tight pull, Rickon kicked his foot, freeing the leash and skidding to a stop while his dog kept going. He just hoped that Shaggydog wasn’t trying to tackle a person because _that_ would be difficult to explain.

Luck was not on his side. A sharp feminine yell pierced the air, and Rickon jumped to his feet. He could beat Shaggydog if he really tried, so he rushed over. The girl in question was definitely far braver than most. She called out to Shaggydog.

“No. Sit down, Shaggy,” she said firmly.

Rickon’s heart skipped a beat. He tripped over his feet with the lapse in concentration, falling back to the grass. If this girl had truly recognized Shaggydog _and_ could get him under control… He almost didn’t want to think about it, but now his heart was beating in double time. Getting to his feet clumsily, Rickon located his dog.

Shaggydog was seated relatively calmly in front of a woman who was seated on a park bench. She was definitely a woman—not a girl—especially if she was who he thought she was. Rickon tried to focus on the details of the scene instead of remembering everything that had happened nearly eight years ago. Shaggydog wagged his tail happily, his head resting on the lap of this woman. Her hair was pitch black, though. The exact same color of Shaggydog’s fur. Rickon knew that if she looked up, the same dark blue eyes would be staring back at him. The same dark blue eyes that…

Rickon swallowed hard. He slowly made his way over. He didn’t know how to start this conversation. How on earth was he supposed to talk to someone he last screamed at, asking her to never talk to him again?

“Still can’t control your dog, can you?” she asked. She wasn’t looking up. All of her attention was on Shaggydog. At least Shaggydog hadn’t harmed her like he had.

Rickon couldn’t breathe. His focus was everywhere but where it should be, and he didn’t want to ruin everything again. “Shireen.”

His voice was weak, but it was enough to get her to freeze, to hesitate with her hand on Shaggydog’s head. After a moment, she looked up, and Rickon’s throat went dry. Even after eight years, she could still stop his heart. He cleared his throat weakly, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do.

“Shaggy only ever listened to you,” he said, giving her a weak smile.

Her mouth twitched up into a small smile, making her eyes light up. Shireen turned back to Shaggydog, rubbing his ears. “He was always nice,” she murmured softly.

Looking around, Rickon let out a large breath. He needed to get his head on straight. Glancing down, Rickon noticed that his shirt was definitely stained green from the grass. Hastily, Rickon pulled it off, feeling the small sting from the friction. He pulled on his jacket, zipping it up and hoping Shireen didn’t notice how terribly messy he was.

“Um.” Rickon was grasping at nothing, trying futilely to make something happen.

Shireen smiled up at him. She placed a hand gently on the empty space of the park bench. “Why don’t you have a seat?” she asked, tapping the seat invitingly.

Shaggydog took the cue before him, jumping up and licking Shireen all over her face. Swearing, Rickon grabbed at Shaggydog’s collar, pulling him off her and back to the ground. “Sorry about him,” Rickon said hastily. “He, um, probably misses you.”

Wiping her hair away from her face, Shireen carefully put herself back together. “That’s okay,” she said, smoothing down the skirt of her dress. “I should have remembered.”

“Here, you can…” Rickon held out his shirt to her, feeling more than a little bit awkward.

Thankfully, Shireen took his shirt, wiping off her face carefully. “So, Rickon,” she mused, making his heart jump again. “How have things been going?”

“Pretty good, I guess,” he said, trying to slouch back on the bench. “I mean… I graduated. No one thought _that_ would happen.”

Shireen giggled, looking sideways at him. “Did you start slacking off?”

Rickon snorted. “Oh, come on, Shir,” he said. “You know I can’t do anything without proper motivation.”

Biting her lip, Shireen dug her fingers into his shirt, twisting it on her lap. “What do you do now?”

Her voice was already weaker, already lacking the ease of just a minute ago. Rickon tried not to beat himself up over it, tried not to think that any of this meant anything. He had no business harboring any sort of hope for this chance meeting. “I’m in IT,” he told her. “Just doing computer stuff, solving other people’s problems and stuff… What about you? Definitely out of college?”

Shireen nodded, adjusting her seating. “Just finished up my Masters in History,” she replied. “I came back down to see my dad again. Then, I’ll start up a job search and try to make myself useful.”

“Oh, employers will be jumping at the opportunity,” Rickon said, smiling up at the sky. “I bet you’re just how you used to be.”

“I hope not,” Shireen mumbled. She choked on a sound, sputtering out, “I mean, um, change is good, even if it’s nice to be back.”

“Is it still?” Rickon asked, unable to stop the bubble of self-doubt from sneaking out. He turned to find her again, meeting her eyes.

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, it is.” She turned her attention back to Shaggydog, petting him some more. The silence was stretching out, and even though Rickon remembered long afternoons of doing nothing with her, of just watching her read, he was certain that this wasn’t supposed to feel normal. Shireen felt it, too, clearing her throat loudly. “It’s getting dark, and I should really—”

“Yeah, okay,” Rickon said quickly, jumping to his feet. “I’ve gotta go to work tomorrow, so…”

“We should catch up again sometime,” Shireen said, getting to her feet. “It’s nice to see that you’re doing well.”

“You, too, Shireen,” Rickon replied.

The both stepped toward each other at the same time. Rickon didn’t know what was supposed to happen. Surely, he couldn’t just kiss her goodnight like he used to? Could he even try to hug her again? The thought of having her in his arms again was too much, though, and Rickon could feel his heart breaking again. Sheepishly, he held out a hand to her.

Biting her lip again, Shireen tucked a loose stand of hair behind her ear. She carefully took his hand, giving it a firm shake. Rickon couldn’t even meet her eyes anymore. This wasn’t even intimate, definitely nowhere as close as they were before. He reached down, busying himself trying to find Shaggydog’s leash.

“I’ll see you around, then,” Rickon said. He pulled tightly on the leash, pulling Shaggydog over to his side. The dog went slowly, only easing up after Shireen ran her fingers through his fur again. Rickon could feel the ghost of her touch in his hair, and he shoved the thought away.

“Have a good night,” Shireen said.

Before Rickon could completely lose his nerve, he turned away, pulling at Shaggydog. They walked away slowly, mostly because of how much Shaggydog was pulling and constantly turning back to look at her. He wouldn’t, though. He _couldn’t_ , not if he wanted to appear to be a normal person. Seeing her again might actually break him. So Rickon ignored his dog pulling him more and more until they were halfway back to his apartment.

Shaggydog whined continuously, but Rickon tried not to think about it. Maybe his dog could mourn the loss of her for the two of them. “Yeah, I know, Shaggy,” Rickon mumbled, flipping through his keys. He opened the door, and barely managed to lock it behind him before collapsing on the other side of it. “Fuck.”

His breathing steadily became heavier and heavier, and his entire body felt weak. This definitely wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Rickon forced himself to his feet and into the shower, making it as brief as possible. Maybe he could just go to sleep and forget this evening ever happened. Unfortunately, as he was drying off, he got a text message. Rickon swiped blindly at his phone, hoping that it was just someone telling him he didn’t have to go into work tomorrow.

Shireen: _Hey, you forgot your shirt. What’s your address?_

Rickon stared at his phone until it went dark again. She’d probably just mail it back to him or drop it off later. He’d probably be at work, then. Grinding his teeth, Rickon went to type out a reply. Immediately, he regretted it and cursed himself because he hadn’t gotten a new phone in the past eight years. Some naïve, optimistic part of him had held onto the idea of her for too long, and above her most recent message were the previous from eight years prior. Dual _I love you_ s stared up at him from above that message, and Rickon was shaking as he typed out his address. He could always delete the messages right now, but he was frozen in place, staring down at his phone.

Shireen was probably a reasonable person. She probably upgraded her phone when she needed to, or at the very least she didn’t cling to the past like he did. She probably didn’t have to deal with any of this. She probably didn’t think anything of dropping off his shirt. She was just doing him a favor.

Shaking off the feeling, Rickon dressed for bed, though he might have also had a heart attack when the doorbell rang. Shaggydog sprang into action, though, barking and jumping up to the door. Shutting his eyes tight, Rickon dug deep for any sort of courage to get him through this. He was beyond hoping that it was a neighbor asking for something. At this rate, they’d just be asking him to make Shaggydog stop barking. Dragging his feet over to the door, Rickon reached out slowly, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

Shireen stood outside, eyes downcast at her phone. She glanced up with a smile, and Rickon wanted to kiss her again. He stopped himself, though, returning the smile. Her hand slowly fell, and Rickon couldn’t stop himself from glancing down and seeing that there were a few messages above his address. He steeled himself, trying to remember his manners.

“Hey, um, come in,” he managed to get out. “Do you want coffee or something? I think I have tea…”

“No, it’s fine,” Shireen said, stepping in slowly. She shut the door behind her, and Rickon took a step back, leading her over to the table. She followed a few steps behind, twisting his shirt in her hands. “I just—you left your shirt, so…”

“Thanks,” Rickon said.

Shaggydog greeted Shireen for them, sniffing at Shireen’s legs and making her yelp at the contact of his wet nose on her bare skin. She nudged him away with a few soft sounds, brushing through his fur again.

“Anyway, I just wanted to make sure I gave it back,” Shireen said. She handed out the shirt to him. Rickon grabbed onto it, but she didn’t let go. Both their arms went slack, dangling out between them, only the thin cotton connecting them.

Rickon tried to search her for some sort of clue as to what she wanted him to do. He didn’t know. How could he? He only knew what he wanted to do.

“So I should probably get back home,” Shireen said slowly. “It’s a bit of a walk…”

“I can drive you,” Rickon offered. “I mean, I can drive now.”

Shireen giggled. “It’s okay,” she said. “I can call someone.”

“Right.” This was worse. This was even more painful than he imagined. Rickon didn’t need all these reminders of their past relationship. He didn’t need to go to sleep heartbroken again.

With a small wave, Shireen released his shirt and turned back to the door. Nothing clicked until her hand was on the doorknob. Rickon snapped, wringing his shirt to stop himself from trying to pull her back.

“Hey, how about we get lunch sometime?” he asked, trying not to let the hope build up in him. Still, he’d regret this even more if he let the opportunity go.

Shireen paused, turning back to him slightly. He only saw her ruined cheek, the side of her that she refused to let anyone else see, the side of her face that he once pressed kisses over repeatedly, telling her that she was beautiful. The corner of her mouth flicked up into a smile. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

Rickon swallowed. “I’ll call you, then.”

Her hand moved up in another small wave, and Rickon watched her disappear behind the wood of his door before she was completely separated from him again. Rickon flung his shirt onto the small table. After everything that had happened in the past eight years, after everyone else he met and dated, how did she just come back and make him completely weak again? Rickon slumped into his kitchen, running the water cold and splashing it over his face. He had half a mind to run after her. It would be more than he did last time, chasing her off by yelling, trying to act strong even though it cost him any sort of affection from her. It would be the most desperate thing he’d ever done. Was the promise enough? Would she even want him to act like they were worth fighting for now?

Even Shaggydog already looked defeated. He was curled up on a giant pillow, ready to settle in for the night. Adrenaline was spiking through Rickon, though. He needed to _go_. He needed to do _something_. Rushing to the door, Rickon pulled it open, ready to run after her.

Shireen stood right outside, her hand poised to knock. Rickon wondered if that was even more telling. She used the doorbell before. Maybe she didn’t want him to hear. But she was _here_ , and wasn’t that enough? The shock slowly wore out of her eyes as they filled with tears. Her hand fell to her side, and she looked defeated. 

“What happened to us, Rickon?”

Rickon felt his own eyes beginning to match hers. He tried to shrug. “You went to college.”

Shaking her head roughly, Shireen’s frown deepened. “But what happened to us?”

“I don’t know.” Rickon turned away, wiping at his eyes, but telling himself it was to give her time to compose herself. The door shut behind him, and he almost collapsed again. The lock clicked into place, and Rickon snapped around, finding Shireen staring down at the floor.

“Why did you go?” she murmured.

“I didn’t,” Rickon said, trying to remember exactly what happened all those years ago, back when he was too young to drive or make sense of how futures were created. “You did, and you told me not to.”

“Everything was here for you,” Shireen said, her voice catching. “Your family, all your friends, I couldn’t just ask you to leave everything for me.”

“So you asked me to leave you,” Rickon finished for her. Tears were beating paths down his cheeks now, and he couldn’t do anything to hide it. “I thought you just wanted me gone, more opportunity to date people your age or whatever. Just an easy way to let me go.”

“You think that was easy?” Shireen asked, her voice rising. “You think I wanted you to hear that you never wanted me to talk to you again?”

Even through his tears, Rickon couldn’t stop himself from noticing hers. He reached out for her face, but Shireen jerked away, jabbing a finger into his chest.

“It was for _you_ ,” she said, punctuating her words with harder jabs, shoves, and pushes against his chest. “So _you_ could have a nice, pretty girl to date, and so _you_ wouldn’t have to make long distance work out for us when _I_ wasn’t worth it.”

The anger in her dissipated all at once. Sobs bubbled out of her, and Shireen curled in on herself right in front of him. Rickon stopped himself from holding her. He couldn’t just pull her tight to his chest, and they couldn’t just forget that the past eight years never happened. Instead, he wiped the tears from his eyes and led her over the couch, letting her fall there. He forced himself back to the kitchen, pouring two glasses of water. He placed both on the table before kneeling in front of Shireen, watching the small form of her shake with tears and nearly choke on breaths. He rubbed her shoulder gently, easing her out and offering her some water.

She took the glass with two hands, sipping on the liquid as she slowly composed herself. Rickon moved away, taking a seat on the far side of his couch. It felt safer in the half-darkness somehow. Only the distant light of his kitchen somewhat illuminated the area, but there was enough shadow to hide in. Slowly, Shireen opened up again. She pulled the skirt of her dress over her knees and rubbed at her arms.

“I’m sorry,” Rickon whispered. He stared down at his hands, wondering if he could admit what an idiot he had been. “I was definitely too young for you. It was stupid to just try to cut everything off, and I don’t know what I expected. I just… I dunno—I _hoped_ that you might try to talk to me again.”

“You told me not to,” Shireen mumbled back. “And… I think I was waiting for the same thing.”

She gave him a weak smile, and Rickon laughed in spite of his self. “I fucked things up,” he went on. “I couldn’t deal with it… and I’m still just fucking up everything. Look at you, you’re cold.” Dragging himself back to his feet, Rickon wandered into his room. He spared his closet the smallest glance before snagging the blanket off his bed. He clearly remembered giving her his sweaters, seeing her bounce around his parents’ house while nearly drowned in his clothes. Heading back to the couch, he draped the blanket over Shireen’s shoulders.

“Thank you,” she whispered, tugging it tighter around herself. “But, um, it wasn’t all you. I contributed to that mess, and I didn’t know how to do anything else.”

“Smart girl like you couldn’t get over a fuck up like me?” Rickon asked.

Shireen giggled, burrowing deeper into the blanket. “Never,” she said. “But you don’t have a girlfriend either, so…”

Rickon snorted again. “I _did_ , technically, but they broke up with me,” he said. “I haven’t even tried to date someone in the past—oh, I don’t know—three years?”

“I don’t believe that,” Shireen said. She shifted on the couch a bit, toying with the edge of his blanket. “You were a great boyfriend.”

Rickon shook his head. “Turns out that calling your girlfriend the wrong name is a major turn off,” he replied. “And _Shireen_ isn’t exactly a common name.”

“You’re lying,” Shireen snapped back, though her face was definitely red. “Who was it?”

Groaning, Rickon leaned back further into the couch. “Ugh, do you really want to hear how I lost my virginity to someone else? Because I think I definitely promised that to you.”

Shireen’s cheeks flushed even deeper, but Rickon’s were close to matching. She bit her lip again. “I also broke that promise, so maybe you get a pass.”

“I told you college guys would go after you,” Rickon said. He couldn’t even find it in himself to be disappointed. Everything about this night felt so surreal. He was positive that she’d be gone in the morning.

“It was… not my finest moment,” Shireen said. She leaned against the cushions, keeping her eyes trained on his. “And I might have ruined it more by slipping with someone else’s name, too…”

Rickon laughed loudly then, not bothering to contain himself. “Oh, the fuck ups get worse,” he said. “Maybe I can up the ante with my next date.”

“So you aren’t going to call me about getting that lunch?”

Rickon froze, furrowing his brow slightly. “Would that be a date?”

Shireen shrugged, turning into the couch again. “It’s definitely crossed my mind,” she admitted. “I just… I’m scared.”

“Why?”

Her eyes started to fill with tears again. “Because I—”

“You don’t want to?” Rickon guessed, feeling his chest tighten.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then?”

“I don’t think I can’t handle losing you again.”

With that, the tears were back, but Rickon wasn’t going to be stopped this time. He moved across the couch quickly, scooping her up into his arms. Shireen settled against his chest just as she had always done before, and Rickon wrapped his arms securely around her. Shutting his eyes tight, Rickon rocked her slowly, trying to think of something he could say that would make this better, that would make this end with the both of them happy.

“I don’t think it’s supposed to be this easy,” Shireen murmured.

Rickon huffed, loosening his grip the slightest amount. “You think this is easy?”

Shireen pressed into him, turning to dig her nose into his chest. Her hands moved flat over his ribs, and her warm breath was on his sternum. “I missed you.”

“Oh, I can’t tell you how much I missed you,” Rickon responded. He leaned back, putting more of her weight on his body, needing to feel her there, needing to know she was with him again.

Her hand slid up to his neck, brushing over his hair, and Rickon finally opened his eyes. Shireen was staring up at him, looking at him with such intensity that he would be foolish to interpret it any other way. But he had always been a fool for her. Inclining his head, Rickon hovered over her, waiting for her to move if she wanted kiss him.

“Are you sure?” Shireen whispered.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Rickon replied.

“Yes, it does.” Fisting a hand into his shirt, Shireen lifted herself up the final two inches to find his mouth with hers.

Rickon felt like all the air was escaping him. His heart was definitely loud enough to hear, and he used up all of the willpower he had to stop himself from letting his hands roam over all the curves of her that he was certain he still had memorized. The kiss never deepened. It never grew to be more than the meeting of lips for a brief moment. But somehow, it was enough. It was everything he knew he wanted from her because it meant _something_.

Slumping back into his arms, Shireen folded her arms up in front of her. She looked even smaller somehow, as if she was trying to disappear. Leaning his head forward, Rickon pressed his nose to her hair, somehow not at all surprised to find that she still smelled exactly the same as before. He didn’t kiss her hair, though, because things weren’t the same. They couldn’t be the same.

But maybe they could be better.

Clearing his throat gently, Rickon let his thumb rub over her shoulder. “Would it be okay if we did that again?” he asked.

Shireen hummed softly. Her hand went back to his chest, and she turned into him. She never looked up, never rewarded him with the deep, dark blue he used to get lost in. “I don’t think that’s a good idea just yet,” she murmured.

“Why not?” Rickon asked back.

“Because… how do I know you won’t disappear in the morning?” She blinked up at him, looking more than a little bit lost again.

Chuckling, Rickon pulled her closer. He dragged his nose through her hair. “Because I’ve been asking myself the same thing all night,” he replied. “And if I have to watch you walk away from me again, it’ll destroy me.”

With a small sound, Shireen turned further into his chest, and he had the feel of her against him again. Rickon pulled her closer, leaning back and letting her lie over his body. A heavy breath slowly came out of her mouth, but she settled into him. Rickon smiled down at her, knowing that he couldn’t just let her go again.

It was tremendously late now, late enough that he didn’t want to check the time, late enough that he didn’t want to remember that he had to go to work tomorrow. Shireen had a firm grip on him, though, and he was entirely snared in her. Squirming lower on the couch, Rickon smoothed out her hair, slowly letting his hands wander to make sure she was completely covered by his blanket. Shireen’s breathing became long and deep far before Rickon’s did. Even in deep sleep, they held onto each other and kept the other close.

 

 

Sometime in the earlier hours of the morning, a phone started buzzing relentlessly. With a low grumble, Shireen stretched up, reaching out blindly for the offending noisemaker. Moving slowly, she extracted herself from Rickon’s grip, tapping her way across his apartment to silence her phone. Blinking through the brightness of her screen, Shireen read the dozen missed calls she had from her uncle. Her phone started buzzing again, and Shireen groaned. She sought out Rickon’s bathroom, running the water to dampen the sound of her voice.

“Renly?” she murmured into the phone, flicking off the lights to make her eyes feel better.

The responding noise from the line was a cacophonous amalgamation of noise. She winced away from her phone, waiting for her uncle to realize she answered the call. “ _Shireen_ , darling, where are you?” Renly slurred. “Loras keeps trying to make me go home, but you’re supposed to _come_.”

Shireen sighed, considering just hanging up on her uncle. No matter how much he pleaded, she would _not_ be the one to leave. Not today.

“I’m not going, Renly,” she mumbled out. “I’m… I’ve got something really important to do.”

Renly snorted. “More like some _one_ at this hour,” he laughed. Shireen smiled softly into her phone. While it was just like her uncle to be making insinuations like that, she still appreciated that he wasn’t trying to goad her anymore. Renly still took the time to tell everyone he was with about it, though. Then, he loudly chimed out, “Have fun!”

Smiling into the phone, Shireen tried not to think about how nice it would be if it were true. She didn’t want to admit to herself how much she missed having Rickon to herself, and how she ached to see this through until the morning. Turning her phone off completely, Shireen went back out into the apartment. Rickon was still sound asleep, and Shireen got caught up staring at him, just watching him look so at peace. Placing her phone on the table, Shireen wiggled out of her bra, thinking that she at least deserved to spend the next few hours with him in comfort. She dropped it on the floor, carefully sliding back under the blanket.

Rickon’s arms automatically opened for her, and she slowly fell back into place against him. His hands immediately went to smooth down her dress, and then he meticulously covered her back up with a blanket. Blinking up, Shireen found Rickon staring at her with half-lidded eyes.

“Where’d you go?” he murmured.

“Nowhere,” she said back. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Nodding, Rickon turned them onto their sides, making her sink into the bend of the couch. He curled up around her, hugging her tight to his chest. Shireen wrapped her arms around him, too, pressing her ear against his heart to let the steady pace of it lull her back to sleep. Somehow, Rickon was still pulling her closer as he slept, digging his hand into her hair, and Shireen was massively comforted by the possessiveness with which he held onto her lower back. The smile never left her face as she slept in his arms, always feeling him against her body.

Absolute tranquility accompanied her that night, filling her to the brim with memories of having him. Shireen dreamed continuously about the years they dated, about spending long days at his side. She found herself longing for him and missing him even more come morning, stretching out her arms to pull him closer. Frowning, Shireen explored the area she was in, finding things that were completely unexpected. The couch seemed to have miraculously grown, and she was entirely enveloped in warmth, but her source was gone. Rickon was missing.

Sitting up quickly, Shireen looked about the room she was in. There was no way she dreamed that entire night, that Rickon never actually held her or kissed her. Panic built up inside her chest, and Shireen couldn’t clearly see any of her surroundings. Tears were blocking her vision, and her breath was coming shorter and shorter. There was a distant clanking of dishes, and Shireen turned away, hoping that no one came into her room to find her crying over the idea of a memory. Whoever was out there had other plans, though, and the door opened before another sharp _clink_ of dishes.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, Shir.” 

Large, soft hands brushed over her shoulders, but Shireen was consumed by the voice. That was _not_ the voice of her dad, nor was it her uncle. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Shireen sank down as someone sat beside her. She leaned into the new weight automatically, and she was thrilled when she was pulled into a strong, warm body. Blinking up, Shireen found Rickon staring down at her.

He looked worried, but he smiled gently. “Hey, there,” he murmured, lifting a hand to wipe the tears off her cheeks. “You okay?”

Nodding quickly, Shireen turned into his chest, breathing him in. “Where’d you go?”

“I made breakfast,” Rickon replied. He adjusted his grip on her, settling further back on the bed. Sure enough, at the foot of the bed was a small platter of pancakes and two glasses of water. Rickon pressed his mouth against her temple, hugging her close. “Are you hungry?”

Sliding back on the bed, Shireen nodded. Rickon grinned at her. He retrieved the plate of food, cutting up the pancakes and feeding her slowly. Shireen grabbed onto his arm, tugging him close as she chewed through the food. It was only when they were almost done that she remembered the occurrences of the past night.

“Don’t you have work today?” she asked, not wanting to think about him leaving again.

“I called in sick,” Rickon replied, leaning forward to collect all the empty dishes. His neck worked with a swallow, and Shireen felt the urge to pull him back.

Still, she watched him leave the room, fighting the desire to chase after him. He returned shortly, though, climbing up beside her on the bed. Shireen smiled at him, rolling onto her side to lie over his chest. Rickon’s hand slid across her back, and she looked up at him.

“I think I’d like to try that again now,” Shireen murmured.

Rickon grinned, combing her hair over her ear. “Try what?”

Shireen shook her head, fisting his shirt in her hand. “Just kiss me.”

Chuckling, Rickon slid his hand under her jaw, lining up their faces exactly to press their noses together. “One condition,” he said firmly.

“What’s that?” Shireen mumbled, stretching up to get at him again.

“I get to be your boyfriend again.”

Humming, Shireen closed the gap between them. She fit her mouth perfectly against his, moving an arm over his shoulders to pull him closer. “Are you actually going to drive me to dates now?” she asked against his mouth.

Rickon moved forward against her, deepening the kiss and sliding his tongue in her mouth. Shireen moaned loudly, sitting up and moving over his lap. Rickon bit at her lips, going to kiss her cheek. “Oh, of course,” he replied, leaning her back over an arm to kiss at her neck. “Anywhere you want to go.”

“Anywhere?” Shireen asked back, looking up at the ceiling of his room.

“As long as I’m with you,” Rickon said, lifting her back to look her in the eyes. “I’m not letting you get away again.”

Throwing her arms around his neck, Shireen hugged him tight. She dug her nose into his neck, finding purchase wherever she could to pull him close. Rickon returned the gesture, and everything _did_ just slide back into place. Everything clicked back together just as simply as it fell apart all those years ago. However, there was nothing between them now. Nothing could ruin this or threaten to break it apart. Shireen had everything she wanted and the years they spent away from each other had no significance to this reunion.

“Never,” Shireen said firmly. “I am never leaving you again.”


End file.
